How to Make a Baptism Robe Using a Flat Sheet

Make a christening gown to customize it for the child. (Image: Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images)

A baptism robe, or christening dress, is a white garment that is worn during a baptism and represents purity and faith. If a child in your life is getting baptized, but budgets are tight, it is possible to fabricate a baptism robe out of bed linens. A flat sheet is one type of linen that you can work with to create a dress for the person being baptized. In order to distract from the simplicity of the material, embellish the flat sheet baptism robe with trim to make the gown a little more ornate.

Things You'll Need

Measuring tape

White flat sheet

Fabric pen

Fabric scissors

Pins

Sewing machine

Needle

Thread

Lace

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Take the child's dimensions with a measuring tape. Take the length from the neck to the feet and the width from the widest point on the child's body. Write down the dimensions.

Draw the template of the dress onto a flat white sheet. Use the dimensions to create a template that is already sized for the child being baptized. A typical christening gown covers the child's body from the neck to the feet, as well as the arms down to the wrist.

Cut out the robe with fabric scissors. This is the front panel of the dress. Place the template over another area on the flat sheet and trace the same outline of it. You should end up with two equal sides for a front and a back.

Pin the two sides of the robe together at the seam. Turn the sheet inside out so that the seam is made on the inside of the robe and cannot be seen from the outside. The pins help keep the fabric in place as you sew it on the sewing machine.

Sew the front and back sides of the gown together with a sewing machine. Remove the pins as you come to them. Leave the bottom, arms and neck unstitched.

Turn the gown inside out so the right side is facing out. Measure the lace, or other material for the trim, around the neck, bottom hem and wrists of the garment. Cut the appropriate amount of lace that you need for each part of the robe.

Hand stitch the lace onto the edge to create a trim. Use a straight stitch.